Cable percussive boreholes are the most common method of ground investigation in the UK. A Land Rover tows the rig then winches it onto the borehole position. Where there are low-headroom or access limitations, a modular or demountable percussive rig is available. The company has various rigs, including scaled-down versions of a standard towed tripod or modular rigs that we transport in sections on a trailer and assemble the component parts at the borehole location. We have experience of constructing boreholes to depths of more than 70 m using heavy-duty rigs and a range of casing sizes between 150-mm and 300-mm diameter.

Various rigs available, including

Dando 2000, 2500 and 3000

In-situ borehole testing techniques include standard penetration testing, permeability testing, borehole vane testing and packer testing, which allow our engineers to provide information for geotechnical design. Engineers retrieve disturbed and undisturbed samples from the boreholes for inspection, logging and subsequent testing in our laboratories. We can install groundwater and ground gas standpipes or instrumentation in the boreholes as part of a long-term monitoring programme.

We employ rotary drilling techniques where boreholes are required in very dense gravel or bedrock. Our rigs are capable of investigating mineral workings, drilling inclined (angled) boreholes and working in restricted access areas. Samples of bedrock are recovered in seamless plastic tubes for subsequent logging and photographing by a suitably qualified engineer. Samples of rock may then be subsampled for laboratory testing. Rotary drilled boreholes are also capable of undertaking in-situ testing and can be installed with instrumentation.

Rigs available ibclude

Comacchio GEO 205 – small track-mounted multipurpose drilling rig capable of carrying out a variety of drilling techniques, making it a compact ground investigation rig

Window sampling uses either track-mounted or hand-held hydraulic percussive samplers and involves driving cylindrical steel tubes into the ground using a percussive hammer. Window sampling is particularly suited to restricted access sites, contamination investigations and where disturbance must be kept to a minimum. The track-mounted equipment is also capable of carrying out standard penetration testing and dynamic probing.

When sampling, samples are retrieved in seamless plastic tubes for logging and photographing by our suitably qualified engineers. As with the rotary and cable percussive boring, these boreholes can be installed with instrumentation.

All our window and dynamic sample rigs have the capability to undertake dynamic probing

Rigs available include

Geotool – a small versatile dynamic probing rig, capable of window/window-less sampling. Easily transported in a van and can be stripped down to a hand portable state

Dando Terrier and Lightweight Dando Terrier – a small track-mounted soil-sampling rig designed to carry out rapid, relatively shallow ground investigations for geotechnical and geoenvironmental assessment

Archway Competitor Dart – similar to the Dando Terrier, capable of dynamic probing

Dynamic probing involves driving a steel cone vertically into the ground using a hammer and the operator recording the number of blows for each 100 mm of penetration. Several versions of the test methodology are available, the usual being ‘super heavy’.

The test provides a continuous profile of ground resistance with depth and is therefore able to locate boundaries between strata of differing density and driving resistance. The dynamic probing results may be used to establish the subsurface presence of obstructions such as old foundations or buried objects. The results can also be used to identify soft areas and voids or cavities within the soil, such as makeup of embankment fills, dissolution features in chalk or mine workings.

Our in-house resources are also capable of undertaking hand boring and Mackintosh probing. Both these techniques are ideal if shallow surface soils need to be investigated, particularly in areas of restricted or limited access.

Concrete coring is the process of drilling or cutting through concrete floors, walls and ceilings. Often if our rigs are working within a restricted environment, the concrete is removed using concrete coring. The cores can then be subject to a description by our engineers and in some instances laboratory testing, should the slab be required for reuse. The information obtained on the concrete cores can assist with the preliminary designs.

Our teams have also been asked to perform coring on masonry bridges or stone façades of historic houses to ascertain their makeup.

Structural Soils was proud to support the SSAFA Essex Armed Forces charity by holding a ‘Big Brew’ event at their site in Bradwell, UK. The ‘Big Brew’ fundraising events, which take place across the year, help to raise vital funds to provide lifelong support to the Armed Forces and their families.

Drillers from site investigation services contractor Structural Soils and one of its larger drilling rigs came to the aid of DIY SOS’s most challenging build to date for the Roots Foundation Wales. The Roots Foundation Wales is a volunteer led charity based in Swansea, which aims to support young people in care, care leavers, children in need and adults who have left care with the transition period of independent living. DIY SOS are demolishing the existing run-down structure and building a new, purpose-built structure in September 2017.

Following a recent UKAS audit, Structural Soils is proud to announce that its Castleford material, soil and rock testing laboratory has added the following aggregate and soil tests to its UKAS schedule of accreditation:

Structual Soils, an RSK company, has been named Company of the Year by Building and Facilities News, a leading publication for the UK building and facilities management sectors. The esteemed award was given “in light of [Structural Soils’] consistently excellent ground investigation services,” an article in the publication explains.

RSK and Structural Soils have been shortlisted an impressive six times at the Ground Engineering Awards.

Structural Soils, an RSK company, has been named a finalist in the Award for Technical Excellence, Ground Investigation Specialist of the Year and UK Project with a Geotechnical Value of between £1M and £3M categories, and on two occasions for Ground Investigation Project of the Year.

Structural Soils staff were on the judging panel for the western regional heat of the 2018 National Schools Geology Challenge. The competition was hosted by Wells Cathedral School on 22 February. Four teams of young geologists from across the region each prepared a poster and a five-minute presentation entitled ‘The Geology of an iPad’.

Structural Soils are delighted to launch our new corporate website to welcome in 2018! The new website is fully configured for use on your mobile, tablet or desktop with a clean and modern design which operates just as well via touch or mouse. The new website is jam packed with brand new content that describes our rapidly growing service and sector offerings.

Dynamic Sampling has recently started a four-month project for sister company Structural Soils at the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, UK. The Wylfa Newydd project, run by Horizon Nuclear Power, hopes to develop low-carbon nuclear power production and see the first electricity generation at the power station by the mid-2020s.

On 28 September, the Structural Soils and Envirolab sales teams had a busy day, attending both the Contamination Expo Series 2017 and the Brownfield Briefing Awards 2017. The Contamination Expo Series is a collaborative event of six insightful seminars on areas such as land remediation and spill response.

RSK’s latest Knowledge Share event has been declared a success after 50 clients joined RSK staff and guest panellists at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum. ‘New insights into land development: Maximising returns and minimising risks’ brought together industry leaders to examine key issues facing land development. Held on 26 September, the CPD-accredited event was free to attend.

Since RSK acquired Dynamic Sampling in April 2016, the team has been busy with plenty of project work, new staff and equipment, and gaining accreditation. Intrigued to hear what the last year has involved for the Derby-headquartered drilling business, e-confidential caught up with managing director Petar Stanojevic.

We are pleased to announce we have opened our 4th geotechnical laboratory in the UK. This lab is in addition to our laboratories in Castleford, Bristol and Hemel Hempstead and will increase our capability in the South East.

Employees at the Structural Soils Bristol office have attended a bespoke, two-hour spills training course which has been newly developed, by environmental consultant Paula Collins and the RSK environmental, health and safety (EHS) team.

Structural Soils were present to hear Dr. David Norbury tell a packed audience that the new 2015 edition of BS 5930 Code of practice for ground investigations is expected to be finalised this week and issued by the British Standards Institute (BSI) by the end of July.

Liverpool University is delighted to invite RSK’s award-winning ground investigation experts to give a free seminar on the latest developments in geophysical technologies and techniques, and their use in state-of-the-art ground investigations.

The Mersey Gateway Project is a major scheme to build a new six lane toll bridge over the Mersey between the towns of Runcorn and Widnes that will relieve the congested and ageing Silver Jubilee Bridge.

Structural Soils is extremely proud that our entry of the intermediate onshore ground investigation for the Wylfa new-build nuclear reactor (Anglesey, UK), in the 'UK Project with a Geotechnical Value over £1M' category at the 2012 Ground Engineering Awards was HIGHLY COMMENDED.

In April 2008 RSK Group's site investigation contractor, Structural Soils, was commissioned by Transport Scotland to help assess three options to alleviate traffic on the A82 near Pulpit Rock, Loch Lomond.